Logitech G604 Review

Logitech revives another one of its older mice for a new generation.

Review
by Mike Williams, Reviews Editor

Updated on 16 September 2019

Logitech is currently on a run, reviving number of its older mainstays with current technology. Recent updates have included several mice, like the G903, G502 Lightspeed, and G305. Each mouse is aimed at a different segment of gaming consumers, but Logitech G hasn't finished filling out its tiers yet. The next refresh is an update of the G602 mouse first released back in 2013.

The original G602 lived somewhere in-between a standard Logitech G mouse and the full-fat G600 MMO gaming mouse. The G600 had a full complement of 12 buttons on the inside thumb area, which could be programmed for several functions depending on your game. It received the "MMO" marker because most games didn't need all those buttons, while MMO titles found a use for every key. It was a more universal alternative to those bulky gaming keypads.

The new Logitech G604 Lightspeed Wireless, straight out of the box. | Mike Williams/USG

Logitech has introduced a host of new technologies since the G602 first launched. That tech has been folded into the same general shell, redesigned, and rechristened. The new mouse is the G604 Lightspeed Wireless.

The G604 Lightspeed Wireless retains the same shape as the G602, minus the silver accents that distinguished the original model. You have a total of ten physical buttons: left and right mouse, + and - buttons on the side of the left mouse button, and six programmable G buttons on the inside thumb area. These buttons are in a tight group, which you'd think would be a problem, but it actually works great. It's easy to differentiate between all six buttons, and I found it wasn't an issue activating them as needed. No missed presses here.

There are two buttons that cannot be programmed, which handle multi-device connectivity, with one button for the included Lightspeed wireless receiver and one button for Bluetooth. Logitech also included a hefty metal scroll wheel, like the G502 or G903, but without the option to switch from tactile clicks to smooth scrolling. Click is the only choice here.

The side view, with the programmable G buttons, and the battery compartment. | Mike Williams/USG

At 135g, the G604 is actually heavier than some of Logitech's recent mice. It's 11g more than the G502, and 15g heavier than the G903 with all its extra weights in. That additional weight actually helps make the G604 feel like a more premium mouse and the overall construction feels solid.

Internally, the G604 packs in the features we've come to expect from these Logitech hardware updates. It includes the new Hero 16K sensor, offering excellent accuracy, sensitivity up to 16,000 DPI, and zero smoothing. Lightspeed wireless is enabled via a tiny USB dongle that is stored in a rear compartment on the mouse. This compartment is also where the battery goes, with Logitech estimating 240 hours of play on a single AA. (5.5 months on Bluetooth.) This is under the battery life estimates for the G602 with two AA batteries, so Logitech has clearly improved in terms of power management. I was unable to test the battery life proper during the review period, but Logitech's estimates have usually been pretty close to reality. (The G305 Lightspeed Wireless that I reviewed last year has been my laptop mouse since then and I've only changed the battery once.)

Drawing out the strength of the G604 requires the use of the Logitech G Hub. While Logitech has default settings for every button, you can change every one—with the exception of Lightspeed and Bluetooth buttons—in the G Hub. Under standard settings, the top row of the six G buttons are 1, 2, and 3 on your keyboard, while the bottom row is Forward, Back, and DPI Shift.

I found it was best to reconfigure the buttons per game in G Hub. Take World of Warcraft Classic for example. I bound the G buttons to buffs on my hotbar. Then I took the + and - buttons, which are normally set to DPI Up and DPI Down, and changed them to DPI Cycle and G-Shift. With G-Shift on the - button, I'm able to hold it down to access another set of bindings on the G buttons. That's twelve skills right there on my thumb, which is pretty damn useful. It's immediately apparent that the G604 would be useful in WoW and Final Fantasy 14, with my situational tank buffs being relegated to the G buttons. There's also a pretty extensive macro system, allowing you to create a combination of key presses and bind them to a single button.

The default settings in the Logitech G Hub. | Mike Williams/USG

Given it's understated look, I can also see the G604 being a great mouse for digital artists, binding various commands in Photoshop, Premiere, or Clip Studio Paint. There is no LED lighting on the G604 at all; no signature glowing G logo or power indicators. I miss the lighting, but it allows the mouse to fit into more professional settings.

During my day-to-day gaming during my review period—World of Warcraft Classic, Divinity: Original Sin 2, and Borderlands 3—I found the G604 to be a great companion, especially in the MMO and RPG titles. It's wonderfully accurate, and the build quality is up to Logitech's usual standards. If I have a negative mark against the mouse, it's the lack of support for the Powerplay charging pad. Since Logitech introduced the Powerplay, it's been a key part of my setup and my first question for any new mouse is, "Does it support Powerplay?" The G604 is wireless only and is powered purely by the battery; there's no way to charge it, even if you put a rechargeable AA inside. That's a shame, if only because I know I'll eventually run into a situation where I'll be gaming and have to stop to switch out the battery.

Logitech is releasing the G604 Lightspeed sometime this Fall for suggested retail price of $99.99. That price puts it under the G903, G502 Lightspeed, and Pro mice, and on par with the G703 Lightspeed. For that price, you get a mouse with Lightspeed wireless, the new Hero 16K sensor, and a good amount of programmable flexibility. What you lack is any sort of wired charging, Powerplay support, or RGB lighting. If you want those features, you have to go for the G703 instead, but you lose the G buttons and the longer battery life. (60 hours without lighting for the G703, versus 240 hours on the G604.) I'm almost pay extra for a version of the G604 that adds in some of those G703 bells and whistles.

As it stands though, the G604 a great mouse that will double as both a solid MMO and strategy gaming mouse, and an understated workhorse for a digital artist. If that sounds like you, the G604 Lightspeed might be your perfect match this Fall.

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M.H. Williams is new to the journalism game, but he's been a gamer since the NES first graced American shores. Third-person action-adventure games are his personal poison: Uncharted, Infamous, and Assassin's Creed just to name a few. If you see him around a convention, he's not hard to spot: Black guy, glasses, and a tie.